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Ukrainians plan protest at Russian concert in Toronto

A community group is urging Canada to boycott cultural exchanges with Russia over its aggression against Ukraine. Do culture and politics mix?

A group called Boycott Russia in North America accuses Vladimir Spivakov, conductor of the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, of signing a government declaration endorsing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Richard Hareychuk couldn’t take part in an academic exchange program to Ukraine under what was then the USSR in 1980, because of Ottawa’s sanctions against the communist regime’s invasion of Afghanistan.

Amid today’s escalating tension between Russia and Ukraine, and the limited impact of Western sanctions against the Russian government, Hareychuk and other Ukrainian Canadians are taking the issue into their own hands.

On Friday, Hareychuk and his grassroots group, Boycott Russia in North America, will stage a rally outside Roy Thomson Hall, where the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and maestro Vladimir Spivakov will be performing.

Spivakov, a renowned conductor and violist, is one of more than 500 Russian artists who signed a Russian Federation government declaration in March that essentially endorsed the invasion of Ukraine by President Vladimir Putin’s government.

“Even within the Ukrainian community, people said culture and politics don’t mix — this (concert) is a cultural event, should we do it?” said Hareychuk, 58, a Toronto optometrist and third-generation Ukrainian Canadian.

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“But Spivakov came out and supported the invasion of Crimea. He chose it to make it a political issue.”

Supporters of Ukraine’s sovereignty worldwide have organized similar demonstrations against Russian performers and artists, from ballet groups to orchestras on tour abroad.

Roy Thomson Hall spokesperson Stephen McGrath said the Friday concert was a rental event and the Hall could not comment on the political views of those appearing on its stages.

“As a not-for-profit charitable organization, our mission is to provide a world-renowned environment to showcase international artists and entertainment and to provide public space for the cultural and corporate communities of the GTA,” McGrath said in an email.

“Though we understand the (protest) organizer’s position, as a policy, the corporation does not and has not engaged in censorship of any performance or performer.”

Svetlana Dvoretsky, whose Show One Productions is the promoter of the concert, said the performance was scheduled 18 months ago and the protest organizer only asked for the cancellation of the show recently.

“Basically every arts and music institution, ballet company and theatre in Russia are heavily subsidized by the government,” explained Dvoretsky. “They are put into a very difficult situation. Russia is not an exactly free country.”

She said Spivakov and his 30-member orchestra were invited for their artistic excellence and not based on their political views.

Dvoretsky, in fact, called Spivakov a humanitarian champion who runs a charity foundation that supports a children’s hospital in New York. She said the musician also insisted on performing in Ukraine in 1986, three days after the nuclear catastrophe in Chernobyl, to show his support for the country.

“We live in a democratic society, a free country. We can’t just cancel the concert because his politic view doesn’t correspond with yours. That’s against the democratic values of this country,” said Dvoretsky. “This is just an unfortunate situation.”

Hareychuk said the West’s targeted sanctions against selected Russian officials have been ineffective in pressuring the regime to de-escalate its aggression. In March, his group staged a protest outside a liquor store on Bloor St. W., urging patrons to boycott all Russian alcoholic beverages.

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